'You can't be for peace and be global. It's just like that song 'Man Of Peace'. None of this matters, if you believe in another world. But if you believe in this world...you'll go mad, cuz you won't see the end of it.' Dylan 1984

Look out your window, baby, there’s a scene you’d like to catchThe band is playing “Dixie,” a man got his hand outstretchedCould be the FührerCould be the local priestYou know sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

He got a sweet gift of gab, he got a harmonious tongueHe knows every song of love that ever has been sungGood intentions can be evilBoth hands can be full of greaseYou know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

Well, first he’s in the background, then he’s in the frontBoth eyes are looking like they’re on a rabbit huntNobody can see through himNo, not even the Chief of PoliceYou know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

Well, he catch you when you’re hoping for a glimpse of the sunCatch you when your troubles feel like they weigh a tonHe could be standing next to youThe person that you’d notice leastI hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

Well, he can be fascinating, he can be dullHe can ride down Niagara Falls in the barrels of your skullI can smell something cookingI can tell there’s going to be a feastYou know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

He’s a great humanitarian, he’s a great philanthropistHe knows just where to touch you, honey, and how you like to be kissedHe’ll put both his arms around youYou can feel the tender touch of the beastYou know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

Well, the howling wolf will howl tonight, the king snake will crawlTrees that’ve stood for a thousand years suddenly will fallWanna get married? Do it nowTomorrow all activity will ceaseYou know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

Somewhere Mama’s weeping for her blue-eyed boyShe’s holding them little white shoes and that little broken toyAnd he’s following a starThe same one them three men followed from the EastI hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

A greatly under-rated song on a greatly maligned album. Dylan's Apocalyptic vision of a world of wolves in sheep's clothing is nothing short of terrifying and this song is one of the best on that album IMO. It's also a song that has only become more prescient and seeable as our global experiences accumulate...but also quite timeless...

Live, I've not heard all that much save for a couple from 87 which were fun but unimpressive... In fact, the reason I selected this song today was due to a concert I just listened to for the first time from Ithaca NY. Man Of Peace certainly steals the show in this very strong concert.

You're hearing this concert for the first time? Oh, I envy you! I'll envy you even more as you hear it for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th times...

I can't think of a live version off the top of my head that I'm really wild about. He doesn't sing it often and there are lots of words to mess up and the guitar playing tends to go on and on and on as it so often does when they do a blues-inflected tune.

I like the song, it's a powerful sentiment put over well, and lines like "Good intentions can be evil" certainly ring after the song is over, but the mysterious last verse:

Somewhere Mama’s weeping for her blue-eyed boyShe’s holding them little white shoes and that little broken toyAnd he’s following a starThe same one them three men followed from the EastI hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

sometimes leaves me feeling it was more Dylan being intentionally mysterious than Dylan saying something cosmic or deep or even heartfelt. Other times it works alright, I suppose.

"Now we've had a lot of previews of what the Antichrist could be like. We had that Jim Jones, he's like a preview. We had Adolf Hitler, a preview. Anyway, the Antichrist is gonna be a little bit different than that. He's gonna bring peace to the world for a certain length of time..." --Bob Dylan at Massey Hall, 1980-04-20

I kind of dig the song. It tends to get a bit monotonous after a while, since there's like 3 or 4 instrumental breaks on the studio recording. But the lyrics are pretty good, and true. Positive feelings about it on the whole.

i think the quotes used expresses how meaningful and important this song is. im suprised he doesnt sing it more often.

The last line about following a star? does that mean like a falling star as in a fallen angel, a sin? A little too obvious? seems about right though. a little boy will grow up and follow the wrong things because it's "hip" My way of looking at it. maybe i should brush up on a few things.

Not the best recorded song on the planet, but definitely a strong number - somewhat underrated because of the metaphysical content, i.e., like Gillian Welch's 'The Devil had a Hold on Me' and a number of other songs I could mention, it works best if you actually believe in Satan. But even on a soggier, purely metaphorical level, it still works. (In truth, most of Infidel's songs are stronger than the haters would have you believe. Ah well).

Joined: Tue April 1st, 2008, 16:38 GMTPosts: 7575Location: The North Country

Lone Pilgrim wrote:

Not the best recorded song on the planet, but definitely a strong number - somewhat underrated because of the metaphysical content, i.e., like Gillian Welch's 'The Devil had a Hold on Me' and a number of other songs I could mention, it works best if you actually believe in Satan. But even on a soggier, purely metaphorical level, it still works. (In truth, most of Infidel's songs are stronger than the haters would have you believe. Ah well).

^I think the Infidels numbers are very strong. Extraordinarily so when you add in all of the outtakes. And I would guess many would agree. I would suspect most haters hate the way these songs sound on the released record. (for me, it is especially the drums )

i find this song equal to "Got to Serve somebody." I hate that song because the lyrics are plain and simple although neat music. For some reason even though it is on the same rack as "got to sertve somebody" i like this one. Never bothered me. Simple point and everything. A good piece of writting starts with an action and ends suggestivly. This doesnt do it but the imegry is there and the force of a voice is blowing behind the language. I agree with the theme, i love the gospel stuff but i think dylan could do a better job with it now with some touch ups to lyrics. Satan does come as a man of peace, cant argue with that.

How can you hate a line like "He can ride down Niagara Falls in the barrels of your skull" anyways.

"Serve Somebody" doesn't even have to be read as a "religious" song to work, it's pretty terrific, recorded exceptionally well and executed perfectly on the album version. "Man of Peace" is totally mired in the most ugly and virulent kind of "last days" Christianity. The "message" of "Serve Somebody" is simple - there's no neutral ground. Neutrality is not simply supporting the way things are. Every position is either for or against the status quo. The message of "Man of Peace" is what? That only leaders who press for war and conflict can be trusted???? Shit song of a crap album.

"Serve Somebody" doesn't even have to be read as a "religious" song to work,

Wait, what? The point of the song is that you either worship God or are in service to the Devil. It's almost literally black and white. Sure, you can stretch things out to mean "the devils on our own lives" or whatever, but to Dylan, it's THE Devil and THE Lord.

That peaceful people, who appear to be trustworthy, can often turn around and stab you in the back. They can seem appealing in every way, but are just trying to get above you.

Yeah, I find it bizarre to claim that Man of Peace is noxiously religious while Serve Somebody transcends religion. While both songs work best if you buy into the religious content, I'd suggest that it's exactly the opposite. Serve Somebody presents a cut and dried absolute: serve the Devil or serve the Lord. Great song with a totally unambiguous, linear message. Man of Peace is fundamentally a song about deceit. If you take the 'devil' as a mere metaphor for evil, the song works as a blunt statement about the facts of life - those who claim to do good often bring the most catastrophic consequences (e.g., the leaders who brought you the atomic bomb in the name of your security and freedom, thus paving the way for the impending apocalypse the underlies the whole lyric). I see the beef with the production values but not with the song (or vocal) itself.

Look out your window, baby, there’s a scene you’d like to catchThe band is playing “Dixie,” a man got his hand outstretchedCould be the FührerCould be the local priestYou know sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

He got a sweet gift of gab, he got a harmonious tongueHe knows every song of love that ever has been sungGood intentions can be evilBoth hands can be full of greaseYou know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

Reagan fits this image for me. He was, after all, the great communicator who sold the country a bill of goods with disastrous consequences. However, the whole thing falls apart after these two verses. Seriously, did anyone ever refer to Reagan as a great humanitarian or great philanthropist?

For 20 centuries of Western/Christian history, Satan was portrayed using frightening imagery to scare the faithful and unfaithful alike. Dylan's portaryal of the tempter through an apocalyptic view reveals the seducer in friendlier terms. He's the person who catches you when your troubles feel like they weigh a ton... He could be standing next to you...The person that you’d notice least... perhaps there's no outstanding quality to draw your attention. But the person standing next to you?

Look out your window, baby, there’s a scene you’d like to catchThe band is playing “Dixie,” a man got his hand outstretchedCould be the FührerCould be the local priestYou know sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

He got a sweet gift of gab, he got a harmonious tongueHe knows every song of love that ever has been sungGood intentions can be evilBoth hands can be full of greaseYou know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace

Reagan fits this image for me. He was, after all, the great communicator who sold the country a bill of goods with disastrous consequences. However, the whole thing falls apart after these two verses. Seriously, did anyone ever refer to Reagan as a great humanitarian or great philanthropist?

For 20 centuries of Western/Christian history, Satan was portrayed using frightening imagery to scare the faithful and unfaithful alike. Dylan's portaryal of the tempter through an apocalyptic view reveals the seducer in friendlier terms. He's the person who catches you when your troubles feel like they weigh a ton... He could be standing next to you...The person that you’d notice least... perhaps there's no outstanding quality to draw your attention. But the person standing next to you?

Satan as seducer is his first and most important iteration in Judeo-Christian myth, first as the serpent offering sweet fruits of knowledge to Eve. In Satan's only New Testament appearance, he brings Jesus to the mountaintop and offers him all the world if he would just renounce God. But of course, other portaits emphasize the less pleasant attributes of the Prince of Darkness and his legions. Nevertheless, pleasures of the flesh, of the senses, of the material world, remain suspect among true believers. So I don't find Dylan's portrait at all remarkable, just predictable and a bit pretentious--sometimes Satan comes as a millionaire pop star celebrity shilling his latest neurotic obsession, too.

Man of Peace dutifully follows the template of far too many Dylan songs, and I find it tedious as a result. Each verse says the same thing over blues chords, leading up to the refrain line that gets less interesting and more annoying with each appearance. Fundamentalist pedantry was far too easy a fit for Dylan, and it's no compliment to his artistic legacy that he produced such abominations during the peak of his technical power as a singer. These songs are the black holes of Dylan's universe, sucking like nothing else, permitting no light to escape, lacking any kind of creativity or nuance beyond the verbal dexterity that Dylan had managed to turn into a mannerism on the path to self-parody.

I do agree with UP's observation about Reagan, but I don't think Reagan was at all conscious of his satanic nature. Few people are.

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